Animals used in educational settings — from classroom pets to dissection specimens — have welfare needs that deserve attention and alternatives that should be considered.
Animal use in education spans a wide welfare spectrum. Classroom dissection typically involves preserved specimens from animals killed for the purpose, raising questions about the animals source and the educational necessity given available alternatives. Live classroom pets face welfare risks from inconsistent care, inadequate housing, holiday management, and eventual relinquishment. Animals in educational shows face transport stress and frequent novel environments. None of these uses are inherently wrong, but each deserves welfare scrutiny and should be replaced with non-animal alternatives where these provide equivalent educational value.